After the Black Wings
by Dinoval
Summary: After the Black Wings were sealed, life changed drastically for both tamers. Even after the curse is lifted, Satoshi struggles to return to a normal life with torturous memories plaguing him. Each chapter is the POV of a different character. Fluffy bromance (it's what Dai and Sato are good at :)).
1. Chapter 1 Satoshi

**Hello everyone! Gamma Cavy inspired me to write a short epilogue of sorts for the D N Angel anime, so here it is, and don't forget to check out her stories afterwards! Fair warning, this is my first published story that follows the completely unaltered plot of the anime, and I tend to be a bit… **_**pessimistic**_**… about the events afterward. … And I was listening to "Frozen Flower" from the OST for this one… haha…**

* * *

I gaze emptily out at the sea. I do not remember why I came out here.

The sunset paints shimmering hues on the gentle waves of the receding tide.

Sighing, I sit down on the edge of the fountain behind me. _Clearly I've lost it completely, to walk all the way out here at such a late hour._ I pick up a loose piece of wood from the patterned stones at my feet. Turning it over in my hand, I remove a small whittling knife from a pocket and, after a thought, begin to carve the wood from memory. _I am free to create artwork now that the curse is broken._ I furrow my eyebrows. _Almost a full year since the Black Wings incident and I'm still thinking about the stupid curse!_ I nearly throw the small lighthouse forming from the wood into the sea, but my appreciation for art stops me.

This is not the first time thoughts of the curse came to me. No, it started a long time ago. Merely a week after the Black Wings incident is when the thoughts began to plague me. I am not sure of the trigger; it hit me while I was still drunk on the happiness of freedom.

I was at home in my flat, alone. As was becoming the normal, I had just spent a full day with Daisuke, rediscovering the pleasures of the world with the carful yet playful attitude of a kitten in a new place.

Being with Daisuke made it even better. I like watching his emotions, and to see him so happy with _me_… it just made me melt with joy. …Though I will admit that fear is my favorite emotion to see from him. I am not sure why, but his face is priceless.

I smirk at the thought. _Aren't I sadistic?_ My smirk quickly fades.

Then… that night after we parted ways… the pain hit me. It was not physical pain, but severe mental agony. Horrible memories of the past year tormented my every thought. I broke down. I did not meet Daisuke the next day. I did not sleep. I did not eat. It was all I could do; just sit in the corner of a room with the lights off, hugging my knees and staring sightlessly at the floor.

It was after three days that I heard the lock on the front door being picked. I did not react when daylight flooded the room. Daisuke ran to my side and yelled worriedly at me. I told him to go away, but of course he would not listen, just like ten days before. He dragged me unwillingly over to the kitchen table and coaxed me to eat.

He had saved my life once more. He did not leave my side for weeks, coming to my door in the morning and staying with me until the late afternoon. It was in this time that I began calling him by his personal name. He eventually convinced me to pursue a counselor and only then allowed me more time to myself.

The counselor helped for a while, but I could not speak with him about the main causes of my terrors, the curse and Krad.

After a few months, I quit going to the appointments, they just seemed pointless. I put on a fake smile, and though Daisuke has been acutely aware of my subtle relapse, he must understand that I do not want to hurt him because he leaves me alone when I need it.

Our visits have become less frequent as Daisuke's relationship with Harada-san has flourished. Today I observed them secretly for a while as they picnicked. It was cute to watch them laugh, and I left them alone.

_At least Daisuke can enjoy his life while I suffer._ I am so lost in my depressing thoughts that I do not realize that I have finished the chess-piece-size wooden lighthouse that now is held limply in my left hand. I stare blankly at the whittling knife held aloft in my right hand.

Its blade reflects the sunset off the sea and colors itself crimson.

The entire world is muted around me, and I do not consciously hear neither the terrified exclamation of "no!" from behind me nor the rapid sprinting footsteps. It only when Daisuke steps in directly front of me and clasps my shoulders do I return to the physical world.

"What are you doing!" Daisuke screams frantically at me, tears of anguish streaming down his face, "please no! Don't do it Satoshi! You said you would live your life! Please don't do it!" He throws his arms around me and begins to sob against my neck.

I gaze at him incomprehensively until I remember the knife. Vile understanding slowly dawns on me and I suddenly feel lightheaded. My legs feel too lifeless to support me.

"Satoshi!" Daisuke exclaims as I fall limp in his arms.

The knife and the carving clatter to the stone-paved ground.

"… No…" I say expressionlessly, shocked and unable to meet Daisuke's horrified eyes, "I… I did not mean to do such a thing…" _at least not knowingly…_

This seems to provide some comfort to Daisuke, because he smiles helplessly and pulls me into an embrace. "Satoshi…"

We stand there for a while in silence until the sun setting becomes an issue.

"Satoshi," Daisuke mentions quietly, peeling away from me while still supporting me.

I gaze at him forlornly.

"I… I want you to come home with me tonight," he finishes.

I blink and nod curtly. I feel pitiful when I have to accept him pulling my arm over his shoulders. The shock seems to have drained me.

As the last of the daylight fades, Daisuke leads me towards the Niwa residence.

When the house comes into view, I stop walking.

Daisuke stops too and looks at me worriedly.

"Daisuke…?" I ask, head drooped and gazing blankly at the road.

"What is it, Satoshi?" he replies concernedly.

"… Why do you bother with me?" I inquire miserably, "what have I done to earn your concern? Why can't you just enjoy your life and forget me?"

Daisuke seems alarmed at the questions. His expression lights up and he responds in the cheery way only he can, "I've already told you, Satoshi. You're my friend, and friends don't just abandon each other. Come on; let's get inside before we can't see."

It is hard for me to relate to his reply. I try to wrap my exhaustion around it as he leads me to the door and inside.

The older Niwas seem only somewhat shocked to see their son dragging an injured Hikari through the house.

Towa gives Daisuke a suspicious glare before exiting his room.

"You can have my bed," Daisuke says and proceeds to lead me towards it.

I shake my head and pull my arm off him. "That's fine. You have it; I'll take the couch." I walk over to the one parallel with the bed and collapse down on it before he can argue. I smile thinly. "Besides, I don't think I could climb the ladder right now."

He smiles too. "Okay. Do you want a change of clothes?"

I shake my head and adjust my position. "This isn't the first time you've dragged me ailing to this couch," I mention as he changes.

Daisuke pauses halfway into a tee-shirt to think. "… You're right," he realizes happily, "did you expect me to just leave you there unconscious?"

"No, I expected Dark to slit my throat," I point out bluntly, "you could have called an ambulance or waited for someone else to do so."

"There were no phones nearby and it was after school, no one else was around!" Daisuke exclaims, "please, Satoshi, I won't leave you!"

I hum and turn over to face the couch back. I hear his footsteps as he kneels beside the couch.

"Satoshi… please… don't go back to the way you were before…" he begs.

"You don't understand," I mumble before turning over again and continuing the previous conversation at a louder volume, "your parents did not even seem too surprised to see me earlier. I feel that your habit of dragging me here has turned me into the family pet."

Daisuke's concern fades and he laughs. "Well," he says once he can speak again, "I do think of you as family."

I do not suppress a shy grin when he continues laughing. "Thank you, Daisuke." The sadistic part of me sees an opening and I take it, suddenly flipping off the couch and pinning the unsuspecting Daisuke to the floor with an evil grin.

His laugh is cut off and he stares at me in horror.

My eyes thaw with happiness. _I love that look. The first time I saw it was when Dark first appeared… I believe Daisuke and I were in this same position even._

Daisuke blinks when he realizes my playfulness and his smile returns.

I flop down on top of him. "Whoops, I slipped," I lie with a smirk.

"Sure, Satoshi," Daisuke replies with a laugh.

* * *

**Ah, I love a good bromance, don't you? **

**This is how I imagine the story continuing after the curse is broken; Daisuke continuing to worry about Satoshi. Of course, a traumatic period of time cannot just be forgotten, just as emotions cannot be discarded. I also imagine the other (older) Niwas not completely ready to accept a Hikari as a non-enemy, but Daisuke wanting to give Satoshi the family he never had. Of course, a sacred maiden is a sacred maiden for life. I tried to reference a sub-plot in the manga that was cut in the anime, probably to introduce Kei Hiwatari's character. **

**Do you imagine the epilogue differently? Tell me in a review! Bonus points if you can tell me which act and chapter I referenced! **

**~Dinoval**

**Next Chapter: the other tamer of course!**


	2. Chapter 2 Daisuke

**Well here it is, thanks to all the followers, Daisuke's perspective! (Now this really isn't a one-shot, opps.)**** It's ****naturally shorter since Daisuke thinks with less detail than a Hikari. Now returning to where we left our former tamers...**

**Update: There we go, that gaping plothole of information I forgot is patched! If you read this chapter when it was posted than you can skip to the asterisk.**

Daisuke

From my vantage point lying on my bed, Satoshi appears much disheveled on the couch; more like he was roughly thrown there instead of lying down himself.

Satoshi's cerulean eyes open and return my gaze. He looks so exhausted, combined with his frail state from shutting himself off.

I force a smile for his sake and turn onto my back, knowing Satoshi will not relax until I'm asleep. I hope he recovers soon. He promised me he would see a counselor, and I believed him, but… Riku told me that I'm too trusting.

I swallow back sadness. Why Satoshi would lie to me? It's my fault… it must be something I haven't done, but it feels like I've tried everything. …No. There has to be something I can do to help him. There _has_ to be. Satoshi's my friend and I won't leave him no matter what. I'll ask him tomorrow. That thought in mind, I fall asleep.

After waking up the next day I discovered the couch empty. My blood froze in my veins as I forced myself to flip from my position and dash towards the door. It felt like an eternity until I found him.

Satoshi hardly reacts as I slip in through the broken window. He remains sitting on a large stone that must have created the great hole in the ceiling though which he gazes. "You didn't see my note, did you?"

_'Note'?_ I gulp and walk up to him.

"Hah… You're so protective of me." Satoshi's defeated cerulean eyes slide over to me. "You left without even looking around first."

My shoulders drop. "…I was worried… that something happened to you…"

His eyes twitch analytically. "…" Sighing, Satoshi pulls his legs into himself and rests his forehead on his knees. He looks so frail like that…

"I hate it." I surprise myself by saying it out loud but decide to loyally stick with it when it catches Satoshi's attention. "I hate it when you run away. Can't you see I'm trying to help you? It's- …" My confidence suddenly drops and I have to avert my gaze as I continue sadly, "-it's making me sad. I… I…"

Suddenly Satoshi's firm grip is on my shoulders. He's still sitting down as he looks up at me with his ever guarded gaze. "You what?"

I don't think he was meaning to scare me this time, but his saccharine questioning tone is always the same. "I… I…" I exhale slowly. "…I can't stop thinking about you. I'm always afraid that… that if I let you go again you'll…" It's difficult to put my thoughts into words and even more painful to speak them aloud. "…you'll hurt yourself…"

"…Hm."

It's so out of the ordinary that I have to stare when Satoshi starts chuckling. Not a pained snicker under his breath, but pure, unacquainted, laughter. …It's… rather scary…

"You truly are an amazing person, Daisuke." Satoshi slowly shakes his head as he trails off a laugh. "Sit." There is a silent moment after I obey before he opens his arms, pauses awkwardly, and pulls me into him.

I blink in surprise before beaming with gladness. The way he's holding me makes it too awkward to return the hug, but doesn't prevent me from resting my head on his shoulder. "Satoshi…"

He follows suit and goes silent for a while. In that time I realize how he shivers discreetly in drafts and how emaciated he really is; I feel every one of his bones straining against his skin to escape. How have I never noticed? Have I been _this_ _blind_ to how much he needs me? All this time since the Black Wings… what _have_ I been doing? "…" Forlorn, I close my eyes.*

It was such an… an indescribable moment when the curse was ended. I was feeling so many emotions all at once, but when Riku and I kissed everything else disappeared. The pain, the destruction around us, everything. It was amazing. Not even a Great Artwork could replicate that. …Well, that's probably not true, but _still_.

After that was a daze. Police officers seemed to rush in from every direction, firing questions at us, and escorting us away to safety. The entire hill where the Central Art Museum stands was leveled completely in the crossfire of the Black Wings. Luckily no people were hurt; police had been sent in to herd stragglers away before having to leave too after things got really bad.

Everything bad caused by the curse stopped once it ended, including the weather too, so everyone that still had a place to stay moved back in within a few days. The ruined area has been mostly deserted since, no wonder why Satoshi chose here to hide. The Harada sisters, Satoshi and I were sent back to our houses immediately after a stern warning about entering a restricted area during a disaster event. It was hard to let go of Riku and to lose sight of Satoshi, but if Satoshi had any authority over the officers he didn't use it.

Dad met me at the door when I got home with With and Towa, all of them healthy to my relief. After that I kinda' just… crashed. The moment the door closed I felt the unadulterated impact of reality and sheer ungodly exhaustion before passing out dead-to-the-world for nearly a day. Even after I woke up everything was hazy; it's just not the same without Dark's heightened senses and snarky observations. …Dark…

Satoshi's falsely amused rasping voice interrupts my thoughts, "they won't come, Daisuke."

I open my eyes. "Who won't come?"

Satoshi releases me as I try to see his face. His eyes are red around the edges but he's smiling like a broken bird trying to sing. "Tears. I ran out a long time ago." He averts his gaze. "But I want to cry now…"

Somehow I feel comforted to see him trying to cry. …He's opening up. I hug him again gently. "Come on, Satoshi, I want to see the ocean today. I heard that the Azumano Art Museum funded continued research into the ruins."

**I'll admit that I am horribly unable to justly capture the vast reach of Dai's innocence. The title, however, _is_ After the Black Wings; I believe Daisuke must have been hit as hard as he was for Freedert and thus more down to earth. Poor thing... Emiko is right, fate is cruel.**

**~Dinoval**

**Next Chapter: the one person that is even harder to write than Daisuke.**


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